Dave,
Thanks for the quick reply!
I readily understand your position. Of course you can do whatever you'd like to do regarding a specific post/thread. Please allow me one coment? Perhaps in the future (at a convention, perhaps?) we can have more open, substantive disussions on such topics? Well-reasoned exchanges hurt no one.
I've received a few very nice e-mails resulting from my posts, and as I've told folks in them and would love to say here is that at no time was I attempting to stir the pot and start any flame wars. And, I'm sorry to say, it seems my initial recent post (long deleted) on ths subject might have used a tone that could readily be misunderstood. My true intention was merely to see about adding a different, relevant dimension to the convention. And divergent opinions? I hope they will be tolerated and perhaps even encouraged. If we're here, of course we all love Hiwatts (that bottom line should be taken as a "given").
Of course, had I looked down the list of forums here, I would have seen that "Standby" would indeed have been a better place for my initial proposal.

As the header says. it's the place for off-topic items (and you did suggest that we needed to get back "on topic" in my other post).
While you're here: how many folks attended this year's convention? I've heard attendance was down (and I'm in part to blame for that, of course

), and as I've been going through the forum this morning (something I've not had the time to do over the past few months) it seems that forum traffic might not be what it once was, too. I have some ideas (other ideas, I assure you), but perhaps we can discuss them in the future.
Thanks again, Dave. As I said earlier, I'm looking forward to seeing you at next year's get-together. I might be up in St. Paul in about a month. If you're near there, might you have some time for a beer?
Cheers!
Mike